Vacuum cleaner and the like apparatus



May 13,1941. A. BARGEBOER 2,242,153

VACUUM CLEANER AND THE LIKE APPARATUS Filed March 23. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR= ADOLF BARGEBOER Jar gummy ATTo R N 5V5 May 13, 1941.

A. BARGEBOER 2,242,163

VACUUM CLEANER AND THE LIKE APPAR'MUS Filed March 23, 1938 2 Shee-ts-Shaet 2 INVENTOR: ADOLF BARGEBOELR ATJFORNEXS Patented May 13, 1941 VACUUM CLEANER AND THE LIKE APPARATUS Adolf Bargeboer, The Hague, Netherlands, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, of threefourths to N. V. Dikkers & Bargeboer, The Hague, Netherlands, a corporation of the Netherlands Application March 23, 1938, Serial No. 197,577 In Great Britain March 30, 1937 3 Claims.

The invention relates to vacuum cleaners and the like apparatus, in particular of the type com-- prising an electric motor and means driven thereby for blowing or drawing the air through a filter or the like and expelling it into the atmosphere. With this type of vacuum cleaner the air is soiled by impurities in the form of extremely fine particles, continuously passing through the filter when the vacuum cleaner or the like is in operation, and including a large quantity of microbes. Moreover said air is loaded with malodorous substances, originating from carpets, upholstery and the like, through which the air has been drawn, and from the filter itself, since the vacuum cleaner and consequently the filter is always put away in a soiled condition so that during the time of inactivity microbes and moulds I have ample opportunity to develop.

The invention has for its purpose to remove said drawbacks and to this end according to the invention an ozonizer is associated with the vacuum cleaner, which ozonizer during the operation of the vacuum cleaner or during the time of rest, when it has been put away, or during the operation and the time of rest, produces ozone and introduces the latter into the air, e. g. by introducing it into the filter; the ozone-laden air, which during the operation of the vacuum cleaner is expelled into the room or the space in which the cleaner is used, purifies the atmosphere and deodorizes it at the same time.

The ozonizer according to the invention may be constructed and operated in a very simple manner, since the small quantity of electricity required for its operation may be derived from the electric wiring ofthe electric motor of the vacuum cleaner. The ozonization according to the invention may be obtained conveniently by making use of a high-frequency current generated by the high speed electric motor. This may be effected in various ways, e. g. by utilizing a rapidly varying electro-magnetic alternating field, generated by the armature and/or rotor of the motor. The ozone produced may be fed to the dust-filter together with the air drawn in; it may also be mixed with the discharged filtered air for the purpose of deodorization of said air. Further the air to be ozonized may prior thereto be used for cooling the armature and/ or rotor.

According to another embodiment of the invention an ozonizer of any other type, e. g. a device emitting ultra-violet rays, may be used, which device may be mounted directly in the dust-filter. In the period of rest the vacuum cleaner may be connected to a plug-contact,

whereby current is supplied to an electric bulb emitting said ultra-violet rays, which disinfect the filter. Further the high tension current with glow-discharge for the ozonizer may be used for an electro-filter for a second filtering of the discharged air.

In order to considerably increase the ozone concentration in the dust.filter when stopping the vacuum cleaner the air supply to the dust filter may according to the invention be reduced or stopped simultaneously with or shortly prior to the switching ofi of the current, the ozone supply being then maintained or increased.

The invention will be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a vacuum cleaner according to the invention, in which the ozonizer is directly associated with the cleaner.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an alternative embodiment, in which the ozonization is obtained by means of a, high frequency current generated by the electric motor of the cleaner.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment, in which use is made of a high frequency current for the ozonization, by interrupt ing a current by means of the motor.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of still another embodiment, in which the current is supplied to an electric bulb, emitting ultra-violet rays and arranged within the dust filter of the cleaner.

In Fi 1 the vacuum cleaner is of well-known type, comprising a casing 5, containing an electric motor, the rotor or armature 6 of which is secured toa shaft I mounted in bearings 8, 8 and carrying a fan 9. The stator of the motor is denoted by Ill. The dust filter II is arranged in the front portion of the casing. The dust laden air enters into the casing at l2. In the rear portion of the casing, separated from the front portion by a partition l3, an ozonizer of the usual type is arranged, comprising interleaved plates l5 and I5, connected to the terminals of a transformer l6 located adjacent the ozonizer and connected by current supply lines I! to the plug contact l8. The electric motor is supplied with current in any known manner not shown in detail but indicated by the arrows I9. The rear end of casing 5 converges to form a substantially cylindrical air outlet pipe 22. From the ozonizer It, IS a conduit 20 leads to the front portion of the casing and enters into a space 2| in front of the dust filter and communicating with the interior of said filter II. It follows that the ozone produced is fed to the dust filter together with air entering at I2 into the front compartment of the casing. I

In Fig. 2 the motor armature 6 is secured to 4 the shaft I mounted in bearings 8, 3. The stator of the electric motor is denoted by I. On the shaft 1 an alternating current magnet 23 is mounted between a multi-pole high-frequency transformer 24 and the high frequency alternating current is fed by lines 25 to an ozonizer H, i5 01 the interleaved plate type. The current for the alternating current magnet is derived from thecollector 26 of the motor..

In Fig. 3-the rotor or armature shaft 1 of the electric motor 6, I carries an interrupter 21 connected at 28 to the network and through line 29 and a condenser 30 to a high frequency generator 3| vto which the ozonizer H, l of the interleaved plate type is also connected. A selfinductor coil 32 is connected to the network at 33 and to the high frequency generator by a line 34 to which line the interrupter is connected by a line 35.

In Fig. 4 instead of the ozonizer I, I5 with transformer l6 of Fig. 1 an electric bulb 36, adapted to emit ultra-violet rays is located within the dust filter Ii. By lines 31 the bulb is connected to a plug contact on the casing 5 of the vacuum cleaner. For the rest the arrangement is the same as in Fig. 1.

It will be clear that the bulb 36 may be connected to contact plugs separate from those for the motor so that when the motor I0 is switched out the bulb may remain switched in.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner having an electric m0- tor, a filter, and means driven by said motor for drawing dust laden air into said filter and exhausting filtered air into the atmosphere; means for ozonizing said filtered air before it is discharged into the atmosphere, and means for returning at least a portion of said ozonized filtered air to the dust laden air entering said filter.

2. In a vacuum cleaner having a casing, an electric motor, a filter, and means driven by said motor for drawing dust laden air into said filter and exhausting filtered air outwardly of said easing into the atmosphere; ozonizer means electrically connected to said motor and lying in the path of said filtered air, and conduit means extending from adjacent said ozonizer means to a point in the path of said dust laden air.

3. In a vacuum cleaner as in claim 2, said ozonizer means comprising means for producing an electro-magnetic alternating field.

ADOLF BARGEBOER. 

